Statement by Assistant
to the President for Press Relations Fitzwater on the Soviet-United States
Nuclear Testing Negotiations

June 28, 1988

The
United States and the Soviet Union concluded round two of
the nuclear testing talks on June 28 in Geneva. The round, which began
on February 15, is part of U.S.-Soviet step-by-step negotiations on nuclear
testing. The first priority of these talks is agreement on effective
verification measures for two existing, but unratified
treaties: the Threshold Test Ban Treaty and the Peaceful Nuclear Explosions
Treaty.

During
the round, we made considerable progress toward our goal of effective
verification of these treaties. The two sides are now close to agreement on the
verification protocol for the Peaceful Nuclear Explosions Treaty. Agreement on
this protocol will facilitate further progress on the verification protocol for
the Threshold Test Ban Treaty. However, in the case of this treaty, the Soviets
have insisted that the joint verification experiment is necessary before the
protocol is finalized.

Preparations
for the joint verification experiment are well advanced. Based on procedures
detailed in an agreement signed in Moscow during the summit,
personnel from each side are now on the other's test site, making arrangements
for the experiment. We expect the joint verification experiment to be conducted
this summer. We believe that the experiment will provide the Soviets the
information they need to accept routine U.S. use of CORRTEX -- the
most accurate method we have identified for verifying compliance with these
treaties -- for treaty verification.

We
hope that with the continued cooperation of the Soviet Union we will be able to
reach early agreement on effective verification measures so that these two
treaties can be ratified.